Vehicle body



D. G. RENNO VEHICLE BODY Dec. 3, 1940.

2 Sheets-Sheet l Filed June 23; 1939 ZZ-f Dec. 3, 1940.

D. G. RENNQ -VEHICLE BODY 2 Shee'ts-Sheet 2 Filed June 25, 1959 omld @femm ZJZ/ MJ@ (D.

Patented Dec. 3, 1940' PATENT OFFICE VEHICLE BGDY Donald G. Renno, Fort Wayne, Ind., assignor to International Harvester Company, a corporation of New J ersey' Application June 23, 1939, Serial No. 280,738

6 Claims.

This invention relates to a vehicle body and more particularly to a sheet metal body construction in which rigid cornerk posts are provided at the corners thereof, being formed from integral portions of the body walls or panels. Applicants copending application, Serial No. 342,429, led June 26, 1940, divided out from the present application, pertains to other. feature-s ofthe body construction, particularly the rear parts thereof.

The invention contemplates and has for its principal object the provision of a light-weight sheet metal body construction in which adjacent walls are joined to form corner posts from extending portions rigidly carried by the walls.

An importan-t object is to provide extending portions at the junction of two walls, which portions are bent in a manner forming box-like corner constructions and which have integral flanges thereon which may be readily secured to an adjacent wall portion.

Another object is to `provide for the forming of a corner post which may serve as a stake pocket at the junction of adjacent walls, wherein one Wall has an upwardly and outwardly eX- tending wing portion formed with an opening coincident with the stake pocket.

Another object is to produce a less expensive, light, strong, and usable body better adapted to modern production facilities, such as welding and assembling equipment.

Another object is to obtain rigid, box-like or tubular construction at the corners of the body with fewer components and with a greater strength utilization of material consumed. Incidental to this is the facilitated manufacture and lower cost through reduction in number of parts, assembling and handling operations.

Another object is toprovide a rectangular o-r tubular corner post construction adaptable t'o use as stake pockets if this feature is desired.

The basic purpose and accomplishment of the front corner construction is to so shape the end and side panels that they are mutually reenforcing when combined, providing a rigid box-corner and eliminating the extra pillars commonly used.

And still another object is to provide an extending portion on the wing portion which is secured to an extending portion of one of the wall portions forming the stake pocket.

Briefly and specifically, these and other important objects are Aachieved in one preferred embodiment of the invention by the provision of two body wall portions which are joined together to form a corner in the body, at least one of the walls having an integral portion thereof extending beyond the junction and being bent back and toward the other wall and secured thereto to form a rigid, reenforcing corner post structure, the wall portions being provided With `5 flanges which may be conveniently secured to abutting wall portions.

A more complete understanding of the objects and desirable features of the invention may be had from the accompanying sheets of drawings, 10 in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevational view of a side wall o-r panel of a vehicle body;

Figure 2 is a plan view of a portion of the front end of the body showing the relation between the side walls and an end wall and the manner in which corner posts are formed at opposite corners;

Figure 3 is a similar plan view showing a rear portion of the body and the corner posts and stake pockets formed at the corners thereof;

Figure 4 is an enlarged perspective View of the junction between `the side wall or panel and the front wall, showing the manner in which the corner post and stake pocket is formed thereat;

Figures 5 and 6 are perspective views of portions of a side wall and an end wall, respectively, as arranged before being secured together;

Figure 7 is a diagrammatic view taken on the line 'l-l of Figure l, showing generally the manner of forming a front corner post and stake pocket;

Figure 8 is a perspective view of a rear end portion of the body, showing a corner post and stake pocket formed thereat;

Figures 9 and l0 are perspective views of a wall portion or piece and a side wall, respectively, illustrating the same as disposed before being secured together to form a rear end stake pocket; and,

Figure 11 is a diagrammatic View taken on the line lI-II of Figure 1 and illustrating the manner of forming a rear end stake pocket.

The particular vehicle body chosen for purposes of illustration herein is of the sheet metal type comprising a pair of vertical side walls l0, a door l2, and a vertical transverse front end wall I4. The rear wall of the body is in the form of a movable end gate, not sho-wn. The side Walls or panels I0 and the front wall M are joined together to form two front corner post structures, according to the present invention, which additionally provide stake pockets i6, respectively, at the corners. The structure forming each front corner post and stake pocket is bes-t shown in Figures 4 to 7.

The side wall `lll is formed with an integral flange I8, bent preferably at right angles to the general plane of the side wall, which ange is secured, preferably by welding, to the vertical inner face of the front wall I4 adjacent one' end thereof.. to form one of the front corners. An end portion or extension 20 of the front wall I4 extends outwardly beyond the junction formed at the flange I8, and includes a further extension 22, preferably formed integrally therewith,

which extends rearwardly and parallel to theside..v

wall I9. The portion 22 has further formed integrally therewith another extensionior' por-tion 24, which extends preferably parallel to the front wall I4 and at right angles to the side wall IB,

being formed with a securingange 26Lwhich` is Y preferably welded to the outer face of the sidey 1 wall lll. As best shown in Figure 7, the extensions. .orwall portions; 20; 22, and 24form, with a portion of the-:side wall IG, a tubular or rectangular box section comprisingoneof thecorner post structures l5.

Theyside wall .l includes 'rigidlyl thereontan uppenwing portion lwhichA extends upwardly and outwardly therefrom `and Whichzis disposed longitudinally of the side Wall-from the front end to the" rear endof the. body; This portion is formed with arolled: or reenforced yedge 3Q. The extension or Wall portion 24 formed on:the front wall I4yhas an .upwardly and outwardly inclined flange 32 conforming to the inclination of the wing portion 23.'. Thewing portionis .cutfout to form an openingy34,.which is.. coincident with the area of the stake pocket I6;formed. inthe corner post structure when the .side wall cr panel and the end wall are secured together. The'inclined flange 32is-fsecured to the wing. portion 28. The portionl or section of the. wing portion 2B, which' is: cut out to form the opening. 34,". is bent down, as. at 33,.. and vextends vertically at the inner face of the. extension or portion. 22 formed on the front yWall l4`; Thissection 36 is rigidly. secured to the portion or extension 22 to further'reenforce; the box section formedby the junction of the walls lll Aand I4-'iny forming the corner post i6.; It will be understood; of course, that .the vcorner-post at the other corner of lithefroni', .endof the body issimilarly formed.

The structure forming therear endcornerpost structures is best shown in Figures 8 to 11.I The rear end of a side wall or panel lil. islformedwith an .offset extensonor wall portionL 38 Aextending preferably at right angles to the generalfplane of the. side wall. This portion 38 isfurther formed with' a.` rearwardly extending. extension; or v'portion 4l).A disposed. generally parallel to the. side panel I0: The formation of theside Wall structure at this rear corner provides an offset portion adapted to receive an end gate, not shown.A

Acorner post42 .is formed at the rearr corner by theprovision ofan additional wall section or portion 44, which includes a vertically extending section 46` disposed parallel to the plane of the` side Wall Iand secured along a' rearwardedge thereof to the rearwardly extending'portion 40 formedat ,the offset portion at the rear of the side wall. The section 46 furtherV includes an integrally formed inwardly extendingportion 43 disposed preferably at a` right angle to theplane of the side wall land having'formedthereon an integral attaching flange 50, preferablywelded to the outerface ofthe. sidewall, lll.' v Itwill be seen, from an examination of Figure'll, that the rearward extending portion of the side wall'lf' forms, with the offset portion 38and the two sections 45 and 48 of the member or section 44, the corner post 42 at the rear end corner of the body.

As previously mentioned, the side wing portion 28 extends longitudinally of the side wall ID.

This Wing portion is cutout at its rearward end f tdprovide an opening 50,.Whichis.coincident.with

thestake pocket formedibgyacorner post structure 42 'formedat vthe rear corner o'f the body. The portion 48 of the wall member 44 has an upwardly and outwardly inclined flange E2, which conforms totheinclination of-the side wing portion 28 and which is rigidly secured to the under side thereof. The portion. .or lsection of the rearward end of the wingI portion .28which is cut out to form the opening 50, is bent downwardly, as at 54, to form a section which-is,rigidly secured to the wall yportion Mil-of `the wall memberA 44. The construction in this respect is identical to the forward cornery a preferred embodiment-ofthe invention has? been illustrated; and described," and -it lwill bev-apparent that numerous modifications and alterations*mair be made therein without! departing from the spirit andscope of the invention asdened inthe-appended claims.

What isclaimed is: f

1. Inv a vehicle body'construction,A avertical sheet metal rst wall Vand a vertical-sh'eeti'metal second wall, said second fwal-l beingrigidilysecured at onev end to thefrstlwall', said 'rst -fwall having a portionprojecting beyonditsjunction withzthesecondwall,A an extension connected to said portion and directed-` substantially infv the direction of the secondgwall; andfaffurtherl extensionl connected to saidV extension and-di'rected'at an angle to the first extensionsubstantially toward the second wall,V said Vvfurther extension- -being secured to the secondfwalLandforming-1substantially a box at the junction ofthe walls; said second'wall being formedy with 1a portion extending inthe direction ofth'e'first-wallprojecting portion; said second Vwall vportion being' formed withzan Yopening substantially` coincident with ythe.

tionof the walls .and bent back 'toward 'andrigidf ly securedlto the-other wallto form substantially a box at the junction 'of the walls,A one of` said walls further includingan `integral wing. disposed in a plane at an-angletothe plane ofthatfwall and-'directed'in thedirection of the' aforesaid portion; said4 wingv having) an4 opening thereon substantially `coincident withthe box.

3. In a vehicle body* construction, av pairj-of sheet metal walls Asecured together 'to' form two sides of the body, oneof the walls including-'an integral portion thereony extended past the -junctionv ofi-the -wallsand-bent; back toward? and rigidlysecureditothe' other-wall tof for-rn substan- CTL tially a box at the junction of the walls, one of said Walls further including an integral wing disposed in a plane at an angle to the planes of the Walls and directed in Athe direction 'of the aforesaid portion, said wing having an opening thereon substantially coincident with the box, said wing having an integral section thereof adjacent the opening secured to the aforesaid extended portion.

4. In a vehicle body construction, a vertical sheet metal wall and a vertical panel, said panel being formed with an inturned flange rigidly secured to the wall, said wall projecting beyond the junction with the panel, an extension being formed at right angles from said projecting end, and a further extension connected to said extension and extending inwardly substantially parallel to the wall, said further extension being secured to the panel, said panel being formed with an upper portion extending at an angle upwardly and outwardly, said portion being formed with an opening corresponding to the cross section of the area formed by the extensions of the Wall, said opening being formed by a bent-down portion of the angled panel portion, said bentdown portion being secured to the extension on the end wall.

5. In a vehicle body construction, a vertical sheet metal end wall and vertical sheet metal side panels, said side panels being formed with inturned flanges rigidly secured to the end wall, each end of said end Wall projecting laterally beyond the corresponding side Wall, a rst extension being formed at right angles from each end of the end wall and a second extension connected to the iirst extension and directed inwardly parallel to the end wall, said second extension being formed with a ange rigidly secured to the side panel, said extensions forming a vertical stake pocket, each of the side panels being formed with an upper portion extending at an angle upwardlyv and outwardly, said portion being formed with an opening corresponding to the cross-section of the pocket formed by the extensions of the end wall.

6. In a vehicle body construction, a vertical sheet metal end wall and vertical sheet metal side panels, said side panels being formed with inturned ilanges rigidly secured to the end wall, each end of said end wall projecting laterally beyond the corresponding side Wall, a first exten-` sion being formed at right angles from each end of the end Wall and a second extension connected to the rst extension and directed inwardly parallel to the end wall, said second extension being 

